[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 9, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H1090]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  ADDRESSING AMERICA'S FENTANYL CRISIS

  (Mr. DEUTCH asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, last year, more than 100,000 Americans died 
from drug overdoses, 60 percent of them from fentanyl. These were 
mothers and fathers. They were relatives, neighbors, friends. One was 
my nephew Eli.
  Eli died from an unintentional fentanyl overdose, using a legal 
herbal supplement that had been laced with fentanyl. He would have 
turned 21 tomorrow.
  What happened to Eli is not unique. Young people on social media who 
think that they are buying Adderall or Xanax are being sold fentanyl-
contaminated counterfeits.
  It is the responsibility of every Member of Congress to acknowledge 
that fentanyl is killing our constituents everywhere in America.
  We know that the chemicals to develop these drugs originate in China. 
They are shipped to Mexico and flood our country.
  We know that social platforms are capable of changing their 
algorithms to cut dealers' access to buyers, and we know that fentanyl 
test strips save lives but remain illegal in too many States.
  Mr. Speaker, we can address these challenges. It is how we ensure 
that our kids, other kids like Eli, aren't lost and don't miss the 
opportunity to celebrate their 21st birthday.

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